STATE
STREET was laid out in 1856, extending from the Delaware River to
Cooper’s Creek (known today as the Cooper River) in North Camden. As
at this time the only bridge over the Cooper was at Federal Street,
causing farmers and residents in the lands east and north along the
Delaware to have to travel miles out of their way to reach the markets
on Vine Street and the ferry across the Delaware River. The State
Legislature and County Freeholders responded to the petitions of these
citizens by authorizing the construction of a bridge and extending State
Street to the point where it joined Federal
Street, which at this time was outside of Camden’s city limits,
and was called the “Moorestown and Mount Holly Road”. The road was
built so it joined the already existing Ellisburg-Marlton Road, which
had been laid out in 1796. This explains why the road is known as State
Street on one side of Federal
and Marlton Avenue on the other.

There had been considerable
opposition from the owners of the Federal and Market street ferries, who
feared a loss of business if this bridge and road were constructed, and
in fact, a ferry eventually ran from Vine Street to Philadelphia for
many years. In spite of this opposition, a wooden drawbridge was
authorized in 1857, and the road was completed. The wooden bridge was
replaced with a steel drawbridge in 1892. Another bridge, replacing the 1892 structure, was completed in
2013.

When
the 1947 Camden City Directory was compiled, State Street began at
Delaware Avenue.

Do
you have a State Street memory or picture. Let me know by e-mail so it
can be included here.

69 State Street
was a bar as early
as 1910, when Conrad Ahrens was the proprietor. William Pfeiffer was the
proprietor by 1918 through the early 1940s, Frederick Weldon ran the
place after World War II.

Petitions
for highway safety measures or improvements usually come from
adult individuals or organizations.

But
there Is an 11-yearold North
Camden boy whose horror at seeing a car drag a 4-yearold
neighbor 40 feet. near an unlighted intersection, today spurred a
one-man safety campaign that carried a bigger wallop than the
table thumping of many of his elders.

Into
the Courier-Post editorial rooms came William McQuade, 11, of 47 York
Street; his dark brow furrowed with a serious frown.

"I
want to see the editor of the Mail Bag" said William with the
assurance that a sincere crusade brings.

'Tragic
Scene'

When
queried as to the aim of his visit, William pulled out of the
pocket of his denim trousers a wrinkled and many times folded
piece of ruled paper.

In
pencil he had written:

'The
tragic scene I saw July 6. makes me believe that some traffic
improvements should be made on Front and State
Street and Front and York
Street, so that many people or kids will not be in danger from
cars."

"At
4:00 PM when work is out, cars speed up to Front and State
Streets. I personally think that some zones and traffic lights
should be put up there on State
and York Street.
Would you find room for this letter, please?"

William
McQuade wasn't speaking just for himself, he explained, after an
editor had read his letter and praised his purposefulness.

"There
are a lot of us kidswho are in danger from
the cars that speed along Front street, as work lets out at the
two shipyards and the leather plant in the neighborhood."

"They
all seem to be trying to get home
first."

"I'll
never forget the sight of that accident Thursday when the cars
were streaming from the yards."

Young
McQuade, a seventh grader at the Cooper school was referring to
the misfortune that befell his neighbor, Dennis Taggart, 4, of 935
Point Street, who
was struck by a car while playing near the Intersection of Front
and State.

Could
Be Avoided

"If
there had been a light to slow the cars down at that corner, that
accident never would have happened," Williaminsisted.

Dennis,
his skull fractured, is still in a critical condition at Cooper
Hospital.

With
his nephew Marvin McQuade, 8, of 707 North Sixth Street. son of
his older half-brother, William brought his plea for safety
measures to the Courier, because, he said: "Your paper always
is trying to help people".

William,
Marvin and another playmate, pretty, blonde Catherine Wilczynski,
10, of 929 Point Street,
who also had seen Dennis injured, later stood at the comer of
Front and State and pointed to the comers where they believed stop
signs or traffic lights should be erected.

"It
wouldn't cost much to put up a light here, where it's so badly
needed," urged William.

"Why.
I bet it wouldn't cost as much as the hospital bills and doctor
bills for Dennis Taggart. And he's just one boy who's been hurt.
There have been others."

"We
kids rate a break."

100
Block of State Street

101
State Street

Looking East
from
SW corner of Front & State StreetsClick on Images to
Enlarge

Mrs.
Nellie Smith of 132 State Street,
has announced the marriage of her daughter, Miss Edna Mae Smith to
Alfred Thomas Adams of 2930 Cramer
Street, which took place on Saturday, at four o'clock in the chapel
of St. Paul's
Episcopal church this city. Miss Nellie Smith, sister of the bride
and Willard Stover of this city were the attendants.

Mr. Adams and his bride will
take up their residence at the State Street address on their return from
a trip to New York

On
January 13, 2006 at 12:10 Engine 6, Engine 1, Ladder 1, Ladder 3, Rescue
1, and Battalion 2 were dispatched for a reported dwelling fire at 337
State St. Police arrived on location confirming people trapped on the
2nd floor. All victims were able to self extricate prior to Fire Dept
arrival. Battalion 2 arrived with smoke showing from a 2 story end of
the row duplex. Battalion 2 struck the all hands bringing in Engine 9
and Battalion 1. Squad and medics treated to the 3 victims. 2 victims
had minor burns and 1 was treated on scene for smoke inhalation. The
fire was believed to be a bedroom fire. Crews contained the blaze
without extension.

A
one-time professional bicycle rider was arrested yesterday for drunken
driving on Black Horse Pike, Blenheim. He is Thomas Batson, 63, of 608
State Street, Camden. He was sentenced to five days in the county jail
by Justice of the Peace Frank Timmons, Mt. Ephraim.

State
Trooper John Hanley, Mt. Ephraim barracks, said the man was zigzagging
in traffic on the pike. Batson was riding a bicycle with which he won
races in the past.

Oscar
M. & Dorothy Bass lived in North Camden, at 715 North 10th Street in
the late 1940s and at 615 North 6th Street by the fall of 1956. Young
Albert on the pony was later known as Big Al. The other children were
Clara, Dottie, Junior (Oscar Jr.), Gus, and Roy.

Picture
and notes courtesy of Earl & Janet Crim

The
State Street Bridge

State Street
Bridge

2000

Click on Image
to
Enlarge

State Street
Bridge

August,
2004

Click on Image
to
Enlarge

Plate on top of
State Street Bridge reads:
Sweeten & Sons
1886 Contractors

One
man was seriously injured last night when a passenger train and a school
bus crashed at the East
State Street crossing of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The
injured man is Samuel Phillips, 45, of Blackwood, driver of the bus. He is
in Cooper Hospital, having suffered cuts and bruises on the arms and legs,
possible fracture of several ribs on the left side and shock.

Pennsylvania
Railroad crossing on East State street where a bus
driver was seriously injured last night is shown below
with the wrecked vehicle in the upper photo. The driver,
Samuel Phillips, of Blackwood, declares a crossing
watchman waved him across while a second guard closed
the gates in front of him when he was halfway across.
The passenger train striking the bus was uninjured.

The
bus was the property of William C. Schlitz, of Maple Shade, and
operated daily between the St. Joseph School, Twenty-ninth
and Westfield
Avenue, and Cramer Hill.

A
bus load of 30 children had just vacated the bus.

Phillips,
through Schlitz, made the following statement to police last
night:

"I
was coming east on State
Street and at the railroad a flagman waved for me to come
across. I started across and when near the other side put the
gates down on me, preventing me from crossing.

The
west gates at the crossing were broken several days ago and a
flagman has been stationed there pending repairs. Officials of
the railroad declared Phillips had an unobstructed view of the
crossing for more than 150 feet and had ample time, in which to
stop his vehicle.

They
refused to amplify the statement and said an investigation would
be conducted at 10 a. m. today to ascertain responsibility.

700
Block of East State StreetKnown prior to 1908
as North Marlton AvenueThe expansion of the
Pavonia railroad yard erased this block

Returned
to civilized living, this group of 23 children is happy
once again. They are members of 11 families under
Emergency Relief at 106, 108 and 110 State
Street who were forced to cook their meals on rude
makeshift stoves in the back yards after gas and
electricity had been turned off for non-payment of bills.

Mothers
Forced to Use Make-Shift
Means
When Public Service Cuts Fuel Supply Pending Assur­ance of
Payment
by Emergency Relief Officials

Uncivilized
hardship forced on eleven poor North
Camden families has been alleviated.

From early
Friday morning until 3.20 p. m. Saturday these families, supposedly
under the protecting care of the emergency relief, were forced to
revert to pioneer methods to cook the food and heat milk. There are
35 children in the families.

Gas and
electricity which had been turned off by Public Service for
non-payment of bills by owners of the properties in which the
families are living finally was turned on again after the
Courier-Post newspapers guar­anteed to Public Service the payment
of future bills.

When the Courier-Post learned that
these families at 106-108-110 State
Street had been forced to cook their meals and heat their milk over makeshift
stoves in the yard, an effort was made at once to reach Emergency
Relief officials Saturday afternoon. When that failed, these
newspapers notified Public Service they would stand responsible for
the bills incurred until the emergency relief would have an
opportunity to act today.

A few minutes
later, however, a Public Service employee stated that a
representative of the emergency relief organization also had called
and agreed to guarantee payment of the bills.

Diligent efforts
to verify this statement were unsuccessful last night. Wayland
P. Cramer, Camden county relief director, said he had heard
nothing of the case and that it would be one to be handled by Dr. Arthur
L. Stone, Camden city relief director who is serving until his
resignation is accepted by the state relief organization.

Dr. Stone
said that while he had guaranteed payment of gas and electric bills
in a similar case about a month ago, he had no knowledge of
Saturday's case. -

"I assume
the, situation was handled by Charles Edgar, of the rental division
of the emergency relief," Dr. Stone
said. Edgar could not be reached last night.

Dr. Stone
said it was the usual policy of the Emergency Relief to arrange with
Public Service to guarantee payment of gas and electricity of
companies when rent properties to the relief administration. If the
bills are not paid by the renting companies, the money is taken from
the amounts due these, companies from the relief administration. Dr.
Stone said he had no knowledge that such was the policy followed in
this case.

A pathetic picture was presented in
the back yards of 106, 108 and 110 State
Street Saturday until the gas, and electric
service was resumed.

Huddled about
little open stoves, with the sun beating down on them, the
housewives worked as best they could to cook food and heat the milk
for their children.

In these
families are 35 children between the ages of one and ten years. All
11 families have been on relief for some time. Three other families
in the apartments not on relief, also suffered from the lack of gas
and electricity until payment of the bills was guaranteed.

Meanwhile John
Colt, state director of emergency relief, has received but has not
accepted Dr. Stone's
resignation. Colt admitted the possibility it might be necessary for
him to visit Camden in his investigation surrounding Dr. Stone's
resignation.

"I have received Dr. Stone's letter of resignation' said Colt, 'but have not accepted it. You can say for me that I have this
whole matter under advisement. I shall visit Camden if necessary.

"I do not
want to give this matter any more publicity than is necessary. After
all, my job is to conduct relief affairs to the satisfaction of
localities throughout the state, and disturbances of this nature
take my time from relief work. I shall try to compose this matter to
the best interests of all concerned."